A DIY Project – The Toothbrush Ornament

Back in January, I posted a blog on personalizing your aquarium by creating your own aquarium ornaments and décor. As a gift for a friend, I recently used some of these techniques to create a one-of-a-kind toothbrush betta bowl ornament for his dental office and decided to share the results.

Supplies:

Aquarium Sealant

Hot Glue Gun

8 Acrylic Toothbrushes (soft bristle)

Glass candle plate

Dremel Saw

I started with eight colored acrylic soft-bristled toothbrushes and a plain glass candle plate from a craft store. The brush heads should be soft enough not to hurt the betta, and the jewel-tone colors of the handles will complement the brightly colored fish, no matter what color he is. After some design planning, I used a dremel saw to cut the brushes down to two different lengths – longer for an inner ring and a couple inches shorter for an outer ring, then I sanded the bases of each smooth since the friction had melted the plastic slightly at the ends. Using the candle plate as the base of the ornament, each toothbrush was glued in place with the hot glue gun. This glue is non-toxic to the fish and since it hardens quickly, it holds objects in place much faster than glues like “Krazy Glue” and silicone. To reinforce the structure, I still used silicone Aquarium Sealant around the base of each toothbrush once everything was in place. Once the sealant cured completely, the finished ornament was placed into a vase I purchased from the same craft store as the candle plate, and covered with some white gravel. The white base color really brought attention to the unique decor.

The final result came out a little differently than I had planned, mostly because of the shape of the toothbrushes I used. But it was a fun project and it turned out to be a unique betta bowl for the dental office it is headed to. I’m leaving the really fun part – choosing a betta to go into it – up to my friend, and hopefully the new fish likes its new and custom designed home!

If you need ideas for creating your own betta bowl ornament, or if you designed one of your own, we’d love to hear about it. You could even post a pic on our Facebook Page!

About Eileen Daub

Marine Biologist/Aquatic Husbandry Manager
I was one of those kids who said "I want to be a marine biologist when I grow up!"....except then I actually became one. After a brief time at the United States Coast Guard Academy, I graduated from Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 2004. Since then, I've been a marine biologist at That Fish Place - That Pet Place, along with a Fish Room supervisor, copywriter, livestock inventory controller, livestock mail-order supervisor and other duties here and there.
I also spent eight seasons as a professional actress with the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire and in other local roles. If that isn't bad enough, I'm a proud Crazy Hockey Fan (go Flyers and go Hershey Bears!).

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